 Poetry: April 06, 2016 Issue [#7573] |
  Poetry
This week: Don't Silence Your Poetic Voice Edited by: Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline  
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Everyone has their own poetic voice. Some are unique - so unique that readers might not understand it at first. If that is the case for you, don't fall silent. Write on!
This week's Poetry Newsletter is all about poetic voice and poetic freedom.
Your guest editor: Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline |
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If I had to sum up my poetry in one word, I would call it simple. If I had to add another word, I might opt for childlike. I don't do technically complicated poetry, partly because I wouldn't know how to.
I've tried reading poetry magazines before, but mostly they opted for pieces that are the complete opposite of my creations. They felt like the academic articles I have to study for my course, or like an email sent by a manager who's trying to impress his or her boss by throwing in lots of specialised terms that nobody outside of a select circle could possibly comprehend.
In a small act of rebellion, I have tried to use as straightforward a language as I possibly can, when writing my essays. This appears to frustrate some of my professors. Others seem to like it. Sometimes I wonder, though, if I am guilty of reverse snobbery.
We all have different ways of expressing ourselves. Who am I to say what someone else should limit themselves to? I recently read a piece by another poet here on Writing.Com in which she stated that because other members didn't understand her work, she tried to change it, in order to fit in. That isn't right. Writing, and especially poetry, should be a pure form of self-expression, in whatever form that takes.
We all have our own comfort zones. It can be helpful, even fun, to push the boundaries, but only if this is done willingly. Altering the way in which we express ourselves in order to please others isn't what creativity is all about.
When you develop your own style, your audience will self-select. Someone who enjoys highly technical poetry might peek at my portfolio and move on. That's fine. Someone who enjoys my kind of work might look at highly technical poetry and feel baffled. They might return to authors like me. That is fine, too.
Unless you want your work to be accepted by specific publications who invite specific styles, you don't have to change to suit others. Use form or go freestyle. Paint pretty pictures with imagery, or tell the reader straight out how you feel. Count your syllables, or don't. Use neat lines, or place your words in a way that you feel adds to the message of your poem. Enjoy yourself. Always enjoy yourself. When writing becomes a chore, that special flow from pure emotion to paper (or screen) can turn into a sad trickle, or even dry up. Nobody wants to face the dreaded writer's block.
Of course, there is joy to be found in studying works you might not understand at first. Instead of moving straight on, it can be interesting to see what the author was going for. There might be a light-bulb moment, and you can analyse their technique to discover how they achieved what they did.
You might spot a form that you're interested in trying out for yourself. You might think ah, I didn't know that could be done! I recently participated in "Pursue the Horizon - Open for Signups" [13+] after admitting that I don't tend to read poetry outside of Writing.Com, and by looking through the works of poets both famous and more obscure, I did pick up some new ideas that I wouldn't have spotted otherwise. I think I'd felt too daunted after reading those magazines, that I'd closed myself off to professional poetry.
Most, if not all of us here are still learning. Even when we do become professionals, we'll still be learning. Right now, if you're anything like me, you're still finding your feet and establishing your own voice. By all means, expand your vocabulary. Just don't fall silent if you feel that your style of expression is too unique to catch on straight away. Someone has to be the first, and you might become a trendsetter.
Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline
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Here are some of the latest poetic efforts:
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The Poetry Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in! 
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Poetry Newsletter Team
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